Police: Oakdale Woman Wreaks Havoc on East Haddam Roads

A 53-year-old woman who police say was driving while intoxicated wreaked havoc on the roads of East Haddam Saturday morning, hours before state and local police were scheduled to set up a DUI checkpoint in the area.

According to police, Lisa Nichols, who gave a home address of 1 Fellows Road in Oakdale, was traveling northbound on Town Street in East Haddam in a red 1994 Mazda Protege at approximately 11:43 a.m. on Saturday.

A witness called police and reported that, as Nichols came around a corner,  she lost control of the vehicle and spun around in the roadway, striking a telephone pole.

Police then received a phone call from another witness who said she saw Nichols pull into a store parking lot a short distance away and get out of her vehicle to look at the damage to her bumper. The witness said that Nichols staggered and appeared to be intoxicated before re-entering her car and leaving the parking lot, driving northbound.

One witness was able to get Nichols' license-plate number and reported it to police. Before police could apprehend Nichols, she turned onto Route 82 and continued until she drifted into the oncoming lane of traffic in the area of Boardman Road, striking a black 1994 Toyota pick-up driven by Eric Munster, 42, of Plains Road in Haddam head-on. Munster had a 5-year-old child in his truck at the time.

Once again, Nichols attempted to leave the scene, police said, but her vehicle became disabled a short distance away because of a flat tire.

Several officers responded to the scene, where, according to the report, Nichols failed field-sobriety tests. She was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, evading responsibility, and failure to keep to the right on a curve.

Nichols was taken into custody, transported to the Connecticut State Police barracks in Colchester and released on a $2,500 non-surety bond. She is scheduled to appear in Middlesex Superior Court in Middletown on Aug. 24.